newtampagirl

Did you book thru RCI directly or did you use a TA? We booked thru a TA and had no problem upgrading from a D5 to a JS at the reduced price for our April 30th Oasis cruise. Our friends traveling with us did the same thing. We understandably lost our OBC because we got senior and C&A rate. They lost theirs but got $50 OBC because of the current promo. That is terrible they wouldn't upgrade you. They got you by the you know whats after you make final payment.

Wow, that is a nice perk. We will be Diamond on this cruise. I assume that it is ok to get a drink at a bar and carry it into the MDR, I like a glass of wine with dinner. How do they feel about getting drinks and handing them off to friends? Not Diamond etiquette?

Is there a waiting area onboard for suite passengers? We had a JS on the Freedom last year (Port Canaveral) and once we had our luggage there was a dedicated custom line for us. We are also Diamond whereas our friends are not. We don't have a plane to catch but do have tickets to tour one of the Navy destroyers in port at 1:30.

Thanks! We will be Diamond on this cruise and I wondered what we were getting. Last year on the Freedom, there was no list in our cabin. Luckily I knew about the coupons and we went to guest services and had them print out a list for us. They are one time use, the drink coupons don't renew each day. I will miss the BOGO coffee coupons, I wonder why they stop at Emerald.

I would keep checking. They had a new promo after we booked but we would have lost the OBC, it would have been a wash, but there was no mention of rebooking and paying a penalty. Our final was due around Feb. 15th and I checked the prices once in awhile and just happened to see it last week. Even if they had upgraded us to a larger balcony it was still way less than what we had paid. That is why we paid the extra for a JS. We wanted one from the start but weren't willing to pay over a thousand more. Our friends got the 30% off promo when they switched. We got the C&A and senior discount. Your final should be around this time?

I had one on the Freedom last year on the first cruise day....broke out in huge cysts. I don't remember what kind I had done, don't care, I wouldn't do it again. My friend had one and she was fine. I usually don't break out after facials. That and chapped lips made for some ugly pictures. :eek:

It appears these prices are for NEW bookings only. At least through March 20. I am booked in a balcony on May 29 Allure and saw that a JS was only about $450 more. I had my TA call, and after she spent an hour on the phone with RC, they stated that I would lose all my OBC ($300) and have to pay cancellation penalty to cancel and rebook, and pay a higher tier pricing of $850 plus the cancellation fee and lost OBC. I just stayed where I am. Perhaps the next "sale" will allow for re-booking. I was so excited - but now just sad and disappointed.

I checked our D5 price last Thursday for our Oasis April 30th sailing and saw a huge price drop. Our TA called RC and changed our reservation to a JS for $515 more (C&A and senior discount). We kept our same reservation ID and there was no cancellation fee and rebooking. We lost our OBC. Our friends were able to do the same and did a JS guarantee. We were already past the final payment date so no refunds.

LOL!! Hey girl! Already missing the Freedom?

 

Yeah, I am still cleaning up after the company was here yesterday. We all

enjoyed a big pot of peel and eat shrimp! :)

We are still waiting for someone to bring us food and make our bed! We had fun reminiscing yesterday and can't wait to do it again. I am still bouncing off the walls, I have terrible vertigo after getting off the ship. Oh well, it is worth it.

Yes, please give us your opinion. We did the Freedom a couple of weeks ago. I wouldn't mind sailing her again in the near future, but really want to try the Oasis. The ship would be the vacation, not the ports of call. I am concerned that bigger is not always better.

Ha Ha! Good eye! It's kind of like finding the hidden Mickeys. Hope everybody had a great Father's Day weekend. I almost have the mess cleaned up!

What was bad about Drop off

Prior guests were getting picked up by friends and taxi's. It was the same lane as the drop off. The two left lanes are thru lanes. There were a couple of people directing traffic, one guy motioned my husband to get in the middle lane, only to find out it was not the drop off lane. At that point he stopped the car and pretty much threw the bags on the curb, the guy yelled at him but my husband told him that is where he was directed. There was no way he was going to exit and come back around. It's just very chaotic. Just a heads up.

We just tried Giovanni's on Adventure last month, and like you, we really liked both the food and the service. I'd definitely eat there again on Freedom. Now as for Chops, we ate there a couple of years ago on Enchantment and loved it. The steak, baked potato (which I hear isn't served any longer), and vegetable was awesome. I've heard from tons of folks on CC however, that the quality of the meals there have changed. I'm willing to try them out again on Freedom and weigh it out for myself. I have to say though, I can't deal with a steak served with tater tots...:confused:

My husband loved the tater tots, they are not Ore-Ida. They are more like fried nuggets of mashed potato and Gruyere cheese. We enjoyed Chops but his strip steak wasn't that great, my filet was better. It was just nice to have a quiet dinner to celebrate our 26th Wedding Anniversary. More ambiance.

Our family of 21 will be Freedom 7/19/15 sailing sound like we are in for a treat, thanks for your review.:)

What dining option are you doing? If you are My Time you need to make your reservations on line and tie your reservations together to have tables near each other. There was a party of 20 checking in for dinner ahead of us and they couldn't be seated near each other the first night.

Our junior suite had a departure time of 7:30, the rest of the family was later. We chose to eat a sit down breakfast at Leonardo's so we left the ship around 9am. We did not do self-carry. You can get off as early as 7am if you do. The bags were easy to find and customs took about 20 minutes. Look at your scheduled time on the information sheet placed in your cabin the last night and see what is best for you. Enjoy your cruise!

I read somewhere on the boards that there is free food you can get on the promenade. Someone mentioned free cake pops. Is this true?

Yes, Freedom had them last week and they were yummy!

Regular coffee is always available at the Promenade Cafe on the FOS. Same location as the Starbucks. There are also free desserts and sandwiches there. I don't know about the Jewel.

We booked this cruise January 30, 2015. It was my hubby and me (60ish), grandson (10), son (35), his girlfriend (45), and her two children (girl 17 and boy 15). We had a JS on deck ten, they had balcony and inside cabins on deck 8. The early MDR seating was full and the late was wait listed so we took My Time dining. I made reservations online right away for 5:45 as nothing else was available until 7:30. MTD allows you 15 past your time then you lose your reservation. We were seated at the same table every night. Our wait staff was great and very accommodating especially having two vegetarians and a picky 10 year old.

The worst part of the cruise was dropping off at the terminal, we arrived at around 11am, the far right lane was drop off and pick up. It was very confusing. We had a 40% off parking voucher from the La Quinta Inn we had stayed at the night before, so it cost us $72. I had a huge carry on and it fit fine in the x-ray machine. All wine must be in your carry on. We checked in and boarded around 11:30. The grandson was fitted with a wristband before we boarded. The cabins aren't available until 1 pm. The kids made their shore excursion and we made our Chops reservations before we ate lunch at the WJ. We didn't book online because we wanted to use our on board credit. The WJ was crowded. Jade is first, then salad bar and finally towards the back there were hot foods and desserts. Sorrento's pizza on deck 5 was also available. We had vouchers for the Royal Replenish soda package and a spa treatment. The voucher for the spa treatment was only good on port days so I booked my facial for Monday morning as hubby and I didn't get off at CocoCay. S booked hers for the first night and she got an additional 15 minutes free. I loved the facial, but I guess because I am older and more decrepit, she poked and exfoliated a lot. I broke out in huge cysts and my nose peeled. Real attractive for pictures. Note to self: massage next time.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: They did the Aqua Park/ Waterslide at CocoCay. It was ok. The best one was at St. Thomas, the Snuba. They said it was well worth the cost ($69.75)

SPECIALITY DINING:We did Chops on Wednesday for our Anniversary. 9 oz. filet for me and large strip steak for hubby. Mine was better. We all ate at Sabor for lunch on Friday. Although the food was good, it was very small portions. Luckily, we ordered several dishes. The staff had a very difficult time with any special requests.

DINING: My Time was great, we had the same table and wait staff. We ate at Johnny Rockets one night. It was a $5.95 cover, they only charged us for the four adults. The hamburgers, chili and shakes (they were $4.50 for a small) were very good.

My hubby and I ate at Leonardo's for lunch 3 days. It was the same menu. Beware of the rolls, some of which had whole peppercorns in them, not a good idea. The best dessert we had on the ship was here, cherry crepes with a berry sauce.

ENTERTAINMENT: We saw all the shows, Ice show, Quest, Love and Marriage, comedians. Both comedians had late night adult shows, a little racy but not blue. Get to the Ice show at least 30 minutes early if you want a seat facing the stage.

SHOPPING: I only bought a hat at St. Thomas, we did not go into downtown. We walked the 15 minutes into St. Maarten, taxi is $3pp one way. Hubby and son struck a deal for 3 Seiko Watches. I checked Amazon when we got home and hubby's was the same price. I bought a mother of pearl/Swarovski Citizen watch on the ship and it was $30 less than Amazon. So I felt I got a good deal on the price and not having to pay tax.

All in all, it was a great trip and would do it again.

Great review! We were on the same sail date. I was also a little wary about the negative reviews but everything was great. The Quest was a riot, my son and his girlfriend were captains for team 12. We had a good experience at Chops for our 26th anniversary but not so great a lunch at Sabor. We can't wait to sail again, probably on the Oasis next year.

We ate at Chops last Wednesday night. We enjoyed it. Go for the largest steak, I had the 9 oz. filet and ate most of it, gave the rest to hubby as his NY strip steak was not great. The bacon appetizer was not what I thought it would be, it was basically a slice of fatty pork. The desserts are full size, we had the Mud pie (thumbs up) and the Red Velvet cake. They also have lunch on Friday and Saturday for $20. I don't know if it is the same menu.

We just got off the Freedom yesterday. There was nothing in our cabin about our CA amenities. We went to guest services and they printed out a receipt that showed what we had on each sea pass. We did it mid week to see what we had left to use. I don't think most people would know to ask about it.

We were in 1364 on deck 10, halfway between midship and aft. We had a lot of vibration, mostly at night when they were pushing it. It only bothered me one night. Half our bed had the egg crate. I agree that the mattresses need to be replaced. We had great service with the exception of Sabor for lunch. The extra charge was not worth it. We would definitely sail her again but I want to try the Oasis next

We are staying at the La Quinta on Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach in a couple of weeks. It is across from the beach. They have breakfast, a park and shuttle package or a voucher for 40% off cruise terminal parking. The reviews sound good so it should be ok for one night. I will let you know how it is. Can't wait for our cruise on the 31st!

Ditto. Been there, done that.

We are sailing on the Freedom the end of May after our own dry dock of about 7 years! Saw your previous sailings. My husband and I got married in 1989 and sailed many times on the Big Red Boat. Lots of good memories. There was an older gentleman that pretty much lived on the ship named Captain Snuffy.